Board signals progress on Monterey Heights plans, asks for final design tweaks

The Architecture Review Board reviewed updated designs for the Monterey Heights housing development during a Dec. 18 work session focused on exterior details and submittal readiness. Speaker 3, a staff member, said the site includes 10 city-owned lots being advanced through the Community Improvement Corporation and noted the selected developer, Monterey Heights LLC, was represented at the meeting.

Speaker 3 said the goal of the session was to be nearly finished with design so the project could return in January for formal approval: "So the hope is that we're making progress and getting us to a point where we feel comfortable for full submission and consideration in January and approval so that we can keep everything moving forward and see shovels on the ground in the spring." Board members generally praised the revisions but requested specific refinements — notably deeper porches, varying window/trim treatments to avoid identical adjacencies, stamped masonry foundations and clear color/material samples — before the formal vote.

Developers and architects present agreed to provide requested deliverables, including material samples and half-size prints with color PDFs, and to return to the board with a final set for approval. The board signaled that meeting those items should position the project for a January decision and a spring construction start, subject to the formal submission and any remaining technical reviews.